Efficient catalysis using honeycomb-like N-doped porous carbon supported Pt nanoparticles for the hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde in water

The construction of three dimensionally nitrogen-doped honeycomb-like porous carbon (3D-NHPC) materials for metal based heterogeneous catalysts has received substantial attention. However, tailoring these morphologies while retaining catalytic activity and avoiding aggregation of metal nanoparticles (NPs) is still challenging. Herein, we report a synthesis of 3D-NHPC supported Pt NPs (Pt@3D-NHPC (1.6 nm)) through a combination of hyper-crosslinking mediated self-assembly and subsequent in situ pyrolysis reduction. The prepared Pt@3D-NHPC (1.6 nm) catalysts possess a high surface area and hierarchically interconnected porous framework, which can provide more active sites of Pt NPs and short transport paths for substrates. Especially, after a H₂O₂ post-treatment, the obtained superhydrophilicity of the Pt@3D-NHPC–H₂O₂ (1.6 nm) catalyst presents significant increase of catalytic activity towards efficient hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde in aqueous solutions. Moreover, owing to the coordination effect by nitrogen-doping and confinement of the porous framework, the as-prepared Pt@3D-NHPC–H₂O₂ (1.6 nm) showed excellent stability and durability.